Iraq Launches Anticorruption Drive, Arrests High-Ranking Officials

Elite security forces conducted a predawn operation across Baghdad’s Green Zone and surrounding areas, detaining multiple politicians, lawmakers, and government officials linked to corruption allegations, Iraqi state media reported.

The arrests, carried out Sunday morning, targeted individuals whose parliamentary immunity had been revoked and officials implicated in bribery scandals following public confessions, according to the Iraqi News Agency, which cited a security source.

It remains unclear how many people were detained, as no official statement has been issued by Iraq’s government or security agencies. However, agency reports identified Adnan al-Jumaili, a former deputy oil minister arrested last month, as a central figure in the case, with authorities seizing $86 million in cash allegedly tied to his alleged scheme.

A security official informed Al Jazeera that the Counter Terrorism Service oversaw the raids, focusing on suspected collaborators in the political and bureaucratic sphere.

Iraq’s Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, who took office earlier this year, has prioritized eradicating systemic corruption and administrative mismanagement that have stifled the nation’s recovery.

Associated Press correspondents confirmed seven arrests Sunday, including five legislators. The AP, citing an intelligence report, noted some detainees belonged to the bloc of former Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, whose coalition narrowly lost the 2026 elections but had maintained significant influence in parliament.

Al-Sudani, who did not retain his position following November’s contentious elections, had stepped aside amid factional disputes within his party alliance with Iran-linked Shia groups. Analysts suggest the crackdown may signal shifting power dynamics among Iraq’s political elite as the new administration consolidates authority.

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